Nothing Alike
by The 0dd 0ne
Summary: Prim asks him if she looks like her sister, the answer changes through the years. /or/ He leaves a bouquet of katniss & primrose & says, "see, Prim, nothing alike." \One-shot/ [gale/prim] [grim] [mentioned everlark] [unrequited gale/katniss] (Also on my Wattpad account, The0ddest0ne0fAll) R


She is small & she is frail when he meets her. But so was Katniss.

He smiles kindly at her, she looks younger than she is.

"Gale, this is my little sister, Prim," the name sounds foreign on Catnip's tongue. It sounds much too happy & light for her. Still, she says it so warmly, with so much affection.

"Hey there, Prim," he says, kneeling down to ruffle her blonde hair. _She's a cute kid,_ he thinks.

"Hi," her voice is high & happy, it has none of the ware her sister's does. But he can see Katniss so clearly in those hopeful eyes because he can see fear in them. She is frightened, not of him but of exactly what she should be frightened of in District 12. Exactly what he can see Katniss is frightened of.

He decides the Everdeen sisters need someone to take care of them. And he decides that someone should be him.

* * *

She asks him if she looks like her sister. He says, "of course, Prim." She smiles.

* * *

A little girl with blonde twin tails grips his hand. He guides her across a bridge of rocks, she's careful not to slip into the shallow pond. Katniss smiles warily at them.

Prim puffs her cheeks out as she hops from the last rock to land.

"Tuck your tail in, Little Duck," the oldest Everdeen lets out a laugh.

It's the first Gale has heard in a while.

It's happy & carefree. For a moment, Katniss is as innocent as Prim.

"Quack," he doesn't know if it's Prim or an actual duck. He's too busy staring at the way Katniss smiles.

Much too busy to notice Prim's pout.

* * *

She asks him again on her 9th birthday. He says, "still, Little Duck." She nods.

* * *

She fits snugly on his shoulders as they roam the town with Katniss at his side.

He laughs as she points at things in awe. Katniss is fighting back a smile, the kind only they can draw out of her. He likes the genuine smiles she gives at times. They're pretty, radiant & pretty. Their rareness makes them all the more desirable.

Prim has her sister's smile.

Smiling is just normal for Prim. Like right now, he knows she's smiling widely. She likes going through the Merchant part of town. He knows she has a special place in her heart for the bakery. He knows she loves looking at the cakes in the window. Katniss does too, she just keeps silent about it.

"Can we go to the bakery?" He knew the question was coming.

"Of course, Little Duck, just tuck in your tail," Katniss says, a rare laugh exiting her lips.

"C'mon, Gale," he likes the feeling of her arms securely latching onto him again. He likes the feeling of her infectious laugh.

He likes seeing the Everdeen sisters so happy.

* * *

She asks him yet again, during her 10th winter. He says, "yes." She goes back to perfecting her snowman.

* * *

A small blonde girl is curled in a ball, resting against him, her knees folded against her caved in stomach. His arm is wrapped around her for warmth. District 12's winters are too harsh not to. Katniss is snuggled in between her sister & her hunting partner, her head resting against her sister's tiny shoulder.

He can hear Mrs. Everdeen cooking. Today, she is alive enough to cook.

It's quiet, but the rest of the house is dead silent, his own siblings' absence must take a part in the silence.

The only other sound is that of Prim's soft snores. He takes to counting the rises & falls of her chest against him. She is small, doll like really. Her delicate size bothers him. Gale can't help but think he could snap her like a twig.

This thought scares him.

So he turns his attention to Katniss. Even in sleep, though she doesn't scowl, her face remains tense. She is constantly on guard outside of the woods.

But she too seems breakable in her sleep.

Two sisters, so unalike yet so similar.

* * *

She asks him once more at 11. He says, "slightly." She frowns for a second.

* * *

He doesn't think he's ever heard screams so hopeless before.

It's broken. Sad & desperate & broken.

The worst part is that it's Prim.

He has to get to her, has to latch onto her. Silently, he wishes she was more like Katniss, she wouldn't let everything out like this if she was. She wouldn't be so hard to yank away from what has happened. It would be easier if she wasn't so beloved.

Katniss is beloved too. He loves her after all. The town puts 3 fingers to their lips & then to the air after all.

But Prim is loved in a different way. Prim is precious for her innocence & gentle touch, for her kindness & careful words, for her happiness & carefree laugh.

Prim is Prim, with shades of Katniss at times.

* * *

She asks him, eyes full of tears, after her first Reaping. He says, "somewhat." She doesn't speak again that week.

* * *

He has seen Katniss kill & he has seen Prim heal.

They have grown to be different. The Games has forced even more differences.

Their days spent together are stiffer than before. Ridges have been formed & Katniss can no longer connect with them as well. He gets the gut wrenching feeling only Peeta can be a confidant to her now.

Prim has grown wary with watching the carnage of her sister's survival.

Still, she is not Katniss, she is much happier, much more optimistic.

He likes her optimism.

* * *

She asks again a little after turning 13. He says, "if I squint." She nods.

* * *

How can he compare a little duck to a mockingjay?

Katniss has grown so much, too much. She is no longer as hesitant to murder as she once was. She is no longer as happy as she once was. She is no longer as _his_ as she once was.

She has grown to love Peeta. He has to accept this, she cannot love him. There are times, far too many times, where he forgets this & tries hopelessly to make her. But it is half-hearted as he spends more time with her sister.

Prim is no longer as innocent, no longer as gentle, no longer as happy, but she is still Prim. Just with more shades of who Katniss was.

She is still gentle, gentle as the healer she is.

He likes that about her, the blood staining her hands is different than the blood staining her sister's. Her smiles don't seem to dull like Katniss' have. Her eyes retain their wide, innocent curiosity. She is still a little duck, the tail formed by her medic uniform is further proof.

"Tuck your tail in, Little Duck," he tells her dryly.

She smiles at him, tucking in the tail.

A mockingjay would never smile like that.

* * *

She asks him one last time, it's the last time he sees her. He says, "not even a little." She smiles. He kisses her.

* * *

When he pulls away, she looks up at him with wide eyes.

"They should medicate me for that," he whispers, horrified at what he's done.

"They should medicate me for this," she whispers back, rising to her tip toes & pulling him down so their lips meet again.

"Katniss will kill me." She knows he's wrong.

"No, she won't. She would never kill someone I love."

It's the last thing she ever says to him.

"I love you, too, Little Duck."

One last fleeting kiss, & she's gone with a smile.

* * *

He visits her grave on the day she should've turned 14. He leaves a bouquet of katniss & primrose & says, "see, Prim, nothing alike." He cries at what he's done.

* * *

Hold back that follow or favorite,

And trade it for a review,

It'll serve as feedback & motivation for my writing tricks,

And otherwise, I might just slap you.

- Queen Alison the Obstinate


End file.
